Guide for trimming facial hair

ABSTRACT

A guide to trim and shave facial hair that is held in place by a chin plate and releasable neck strap holding the plate tight on the chin. The guide has a pair of clamps rotatably connected to the chin plate, each clamp having an aperture slidably receiving a calibrated guide rod, the clamp being capable of securing the rod at a variable distance from the chin plate. A second embodiment has an additional pair of guide rods slidably and rotatably attached to the first pair of guide rods by a second pair of clamps. The second pair of guide rods extends from the first pair of rods at a variable distance from the chin plate and can be rotated in parallel planes with the first pair of rods about the axis of the second clamp.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/419,536, filed Oct. 21, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to guides for cutting hair, and more specifically to a guide for shaving and trimming facial hair.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] Achieving consistent, neat, and stylish results trimming facial hair and sideburns is a daily challenge for many individuals. To meet this challenge, numerous devices have been developed to assist amateurs and professionals alike in trimming and shaving hair on the head, neck, and face.

[0006] Among these devices are guides for trimming sideburns that protect a portion of the sideburn from the razor, as well as shields, which are hung from the ear, from straps worn on the head, or from the arms of spectacle frames to protect a measured length of sideburn. However, these devices are not intended to guide the trimming of hair on the remainder of the face.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 1,504,436 issued to Daughley in August 1924, presents a shaving gauge that hangs from the ear and is trimmed to overlap the portion of hair immediately in front of the ear.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,764 issued to Wagner in March 1977, teaches a sideburn trimming guide that fits over the user's head on an inwardly biased arcuate band.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,515 issued to Miller in August 1978, teaches a sideburn trimming guide with trimming templates that hang from a strap that encircles the crown of the user's head. Neither Daughley, nor Wagner, nor Miller teaches a guide for shaving and trimming hair on the lower face.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,946 issued to Guma in July 1994, describes a handheld device fitted with a series of templates for trimming facial hair for trimming the beard, mustaches, and other hairlines. The user's razor is intended to follow the template along hairlines on the face and neck that protect hair not to be shaved. Unlike the present invention, it requires the use of one hand while shaving with the other. Furthermore, Guma does not teach a device for trimming facial hair that offers the user a clear view of area not be cut as well as that being cut.

[0011] British Patent No. 725,158 issued Mar. 2, 1955 to Monk et al. describes a headgear with protective plates that hang down and protect hair on the upper cheek from being shaved. Like Daughley, Wagner, and Miller, Monk et al. does not teach a solution to guide trimming and shaving the lower face.

[0012] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention is a system of calibrated guide rods that are set by the user in adjustable positions to guide shaving and trimming facial hair in replicable patterns.

[0014] An oval, arcuate chin plate having an inner and outer surface, and a left and right side, is placed so that the inner surface rests on the chin. The user secures the malleable and substantially transparent plastic chin plate in place with an elastic strap that reaches around his neck and is secured with a buckle, hook and loop fastener, or other adjustable fastener on the side or back of his neck and away from his face.

[0015] A clamp is permanently fastened on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the chin plate, approximately at the ends of the plate. A slender, rigid, calibrated guide rod, approximately three to four inches long and ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter, is slidably adjustable in each clamp. The user can rotate the guide rod and set the guide rod at any desired angle. In the preferred embodiment the guide rod is clear plastic material, but it can also be made of wood, metal, opaque plastic or other substantially rigid material.

[0016] The user rotates and adjusts the guide rods and clamps according to indicia disposed on the guide rods thereby guiding him as he shaves or trims a goatee, mustache, or other pattern around his mouth and chin.

[0017] A second embodiment of the present invention includes a second pair of guide rods to guide the user while he shaves and trims the upper and lower edges of a full beard or adjusts the length of his sideburns. A second pair of clamps slidably and rotatably attaches the second pair of guide rods to the first pair of guide rods. The second pair of guide rods is similar in dimension and markings to the first pair of guide rods.

[0018] The tactile nature of the present invention and its disposition proximate to the face and beard contribute to its usefulness for individuals with limited sight.

[0019] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an easily used visual guide for shaving and trimming replicable patterns of facial hair about the mouth and chin, such as mustaches and goatees.

[0020] It is another object of the invention to provide an easily used visual guide for shaving and trimming replicable patterns of hair on the face and neck, including beards and sideburns.

[0021] A further object of the invention is to provide a guide for trimming facial hair that allows the user the ability to see the hair to be trimmed as well as the hair to be preserved.

[0022] It is a further object of the invention to provide an easily used tactile guide for trimming facial hair for persons with limited or no sight to guide them in shaving and trimming facial hair and sideburns in replicable patterns.

[0023] It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

[0024] These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025]FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a guide for trimming facial hair according to the present invention shown on a user's chin with the guide rods positioned for shaving and trimming a moustache or goatee.

[0026]FIG. 2 is an environmental, perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a guide for trimming facial hair according to the present invention shown on a user's chin, the guide having a first guide rod and a second guide rod for shaving and trimming the upper and lower portions of a beard, sideburns, and other predetermined patterns of hair on the face and neck.

[0027] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The present invention, designated generally as 10 in the drawings, is a guide to facilitate shaving and trimming facial hair in replicable patterns. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shaving and trim guide 10 has a substantially oval chin plate 20 held against a user's chin by an elastic strap 22. In its preferred embodiment the plate 20 is made of transparent plastic, but it can also be opaque and made of fabric, leather, or other known material that can form to the chin of a user. The chin plate 20 has a known thickness, a left and a right side, and an inner surface 34 and outer surface 32. The chin plate 20 is flexible and the inner surface is adapted follow the contour of a user's chin. A rotatable clamp 12 is permanently affixed to the outer surface of the chin plate 20 proximate to the left and right ends of the plate 20. The two ends of strap 22 are permanently attached to the left and right sides of chin plate 20. Although in its preferred embodiment, the strap 22 is made of elasticized plastic held tight by a buckle 24, the strap 22 may be made of any commercially available material including fabric, or leather, and may be fastened with a hook and loop fastener, or other adjustable fastener.

[0029] Each fixed clamp 12 has a single aperture for slidably receiving a rigid, three to four inch guide rod 14 having a proximal 28 and distal end 26, one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in diameter. A thumbscrew 40, or other known means, cooperatively engages the rod 14 and chin plate 20 thereby adjustably securing the distal end 26 of the rod 14 a variable distance from the chin plate 22. The guide rods 14 have calibrated indicia 30 disposed thereon and may be made of transparent plastic, opaque plastic, wood, metal, or other substantially rigid material. The guide rods 14 and clamps 12 can be rotated about the base of the fixed clamps 12 and can be set at any selected angle. The clamp 12 is adjusted to hold a guide rod 14 so that it extends rearward from the chin plate 20 in a direction substantially parallel to the jaw line. The user rotates and slides each calibrated guide rod 14 through a series of predetermined positions while shaving or trimming a specific pattern of facial hair, such as a goatee, mustache, or other pattern, around the mouth or chin.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of the present invention includes a second, or upper pair of guide rods 18 rotatably and slidably mounted to the first pair of guide rods 14, to guide shaving and trimming sideburns or the upper and lower edges of a full beard. The upper rods 18 are rotatably coupled to the previously disclosed first, or lower, pair of guide rods 14, by means of a pair of adjustable clamps 16, which are slidably attached to both pairs of guide rods 14, 18. The clamps 16 have two portions, each portion having an aperture for slidably receiving a guide arm, the first portion rotatably coupled to the second portion. The lower guide rod 14 and upper guide rod 18 can be rotated in parallel planes about the axis of the slidable clamp 16. The upper pair of rods 18 has substantially similar dimensions and calibrated indicia 30 as the lower pair of rods 14.

[0031] The tactile nature of the present invention 10 and its disposition proximate to the face and beard contribute to its usefulness for individuals with limited sight.

[0032] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A facial hair-cutting guide comprising: a chin plate having an inner and outer surface, a left side, a right side, and a removably attached neck strap, the neck strap being adapted for holding the chin plate firmly on the chin; a first pair of guide arms having a proximal end and a distal end; and clamping means disposed on the right and left sides of the chin plate for attaching the first pair of guide arms to the chin plate and for adjusting both the pitch of the first pair of guide arms, and the distance of the distal ends of the first pair of guide arms from the chin plate.
 2. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, further comprising calibrated spaced indicia disposed on said first pair of guide arms.
 3. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, wherein said chin plate is substantially oval, being molded from a plastic material, the inner surface of said chin strap being adapted for receiving a user's chin.
 4. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, wherein said clamping means has an aperture for slidably receiving one of said first pair of guide arms, said clamping means further comprising a tension means for releasably securing each of the guide arms to said clamping means.
 5. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, wherein each of said first pair of guide arms is approximately three to four inches in length and approximately ⅛ to ¼ inches in diameter.
 6. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, having means for adjusting the length of the neck strap.
 7. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, wherein said neck strap is elastic.
 8. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, further comprising: a second pair of guide arms slidably mounted to said first pair of guide arms; and a second pair of clamping means for slidably receiving said first and second pairs of guide arms, thereby allowing said guide arms to rotate in parallel planes about the second clamping means.
 9. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 1, wherein each of said second pair of clamping means comprises two portions having an aperture in each portion for slideably receiving one of said first guide arms and one of said second guide arms, the first portion rotatably coupled to the second portion.
 10. A facial hair-cutting guide comprising: a chin plate having an inner and outer surface, a left side, a right side, and a removably attached neck strap, the neck strap adapted for holding the chin plate firmly on a user's chin; a first pair of guide arms having a proximal end and a distal end, the guide arms being slidably and rotatably fastened to the left and right sides of the chin strap; and a second pair of guide arms having a proximal end and a distal end, the second pair of guide arms slidably and rotatably fastened to the first pair of guide arms.
 11. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 10, further comprising first clamping means disposed on the left and right sides of said chin plate for attaching said first pair of guide arms to said chin plate and for adjusting both the pitch of the first pair of guide arms, and the distance from the distal ends of said first pair of guide arms to said chin plate.
 12. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 10, further comprising a second clamping means for slidably receiving said first and second pairs of guide arms and allowing said guide rods to be rotated in parallel planes about the second clamping means.
 13. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 10, further comprising calibrated spaced indicia disposed on said first and second pairs of guide arms.
 14. The facial hair-cutting guide according to claim 10, wherein said chin plate is substantially oval, molded from a plastic material, the inner surface adapted for receiving a user's chin.
 15. The guide according to claim 10, wherein said first and second pair of clamping means have as least one aperture for slideably receiving a guide arm, and has a tension means for releasably securing each of the guide arms to said clamping means.
 16. The guide according to claim 10, wherein each of said first and second pairs of guide arms is approximately three to four inches in length and approximately ⅛ to ¼ of an inch in diameter.
 17. The guide according to claim 10, having means for adjusting the length of the neck strap.
 18. The guide according to claim 10, wherein said neck strap is elastic. 